Contents

Abstract

The goal of this DFID-funded project was to improve rural livelihoods
through accelerated adoption of resource conserving technologies (RCTs).

This is the report of the study conducted by Banaras Hindu University
(BHU).

Farmers in two villages, Bhurkura and Karhat, were assigned to one of
the four socio-economic groups, i.e. Landless, Marginal, Subsistence or
Food surplus/Cash cropping, depending on their landholding and perceived
ability to take the risks involved in adopting new technologies.

Data collected under Output 1 indicated that all socio-economic groups
have benefited from using the zero tilllage (ZT) machine. It is the cash
croppers and subsistence farmers who are the main users.

Investigations of the uptake of new varieties, shows that both the
availability and affordability of quality seeds is given high importance
by farmers in the adoption process.

Investigations into the ways in which farmers access information, under
Output 2, indicated that marginal farmers are dependent on farmer-farmer
contact for information whereas subsistence and food surplus farmers
have many more sources such as newspapers, radio, and direct contact
with scientists. Women farmers are dependent on their families for new
knowledge and information.

This study has shown that the ZT technology and replacement of varieties
are spreading to villages outside the core project sites.